LHD-6 was the third ship of the United States Navy to bear the name first given by John Paul Jones to his Continental Navy frigate, named in French "Good Man Richard" in honor of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, the publisher of Poor Richard's Almanack who at the time served as U.S. ambassador to France.

[2] On 12 July 2020, a fire started on a lower vehicle-storage deck while the ship was undergoing maintenance at Naval Base San Diego.

Bonhomme Richard sailed to Sri Lanka to provide support for relief efforts following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and its subsequent tsunamis.

In July, she participated in RIMPAC 2010 in the Kaulakahi Channel, between Kauai and Niihau Islands, Hawaii, near the Pacific Missile Range Facility.

Bonhomme Richard took the place of USS Essex as the command ship for Expeditionary Strike Group Seven and switched homeport from San Diego, California, to Sasebo, Japan, on 23 April 2012.

[11] Bonhomme Richard assisted in the air-sea rescue operation of the capsized South Korean ferry MV Sewol with helicopters on 16 April 2014.

[18] Witnesses reported that an explosion occurred at about 8:50 a.m. on 12 July 2020 aboard Bonhomme Richard while in her homeport at Naval Base San Diego undergoing maintenance.

[20][21] The fire was reported to have started in an area that is normally used to park military trucks while the ship is at sea, but where shipyard workers might have temporarily placed other items including combustible materials.

[25] By 14 July, the number of injured had risen to 61, as more people were treated for minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.

Two investigations were being conducted by Naval Sea Systems Command: the first was a failure review board investigation of safety issues relating to ship design and structure, and how changes could prevent future fires from spreading through ships under similar circumstances; the second was a safety review related to the events and activities that occurred on the ship before the fire and their relation to existing navy policies and procedures; finally, an investigation into command issues was led by Vice Admiral Scott Conn, the commander of the 3rd Fleet.

[39][3][40] A Navy report published in 2021 lists numerous deficiencies in leadership, firefighting training, and equipment that contributed to the loss of the ship.

Navy fire safety protocols enacted after the 2012 loss of attack submarine USS Miami in a similar fire were not followed, and Bonhomme Richard's captain, executive officer, command master chief, and chief engineer were criticized for leadership failures that "directly led to the loss" of the ship.

Firefighting hoses and fittings on the ship were broken or missing, and numerous hatches could not be closed to contain the blaze because temporary utility lines routed through them for maintenance work could not be easily disconnected.

[41] On 16 July 2022, the Navy issued a letter of censure to retired vice admiral Richard Brown, commander of Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, at the time of the fire.

The Navy later issued letters of reprimand to other officers, including Captains Gregory Thoroman and Michael Ray, the former commander and executive officer and command master chief Jose Hernandez, the senior enlisted sailor aboard, for inadequate training, improper oversight and a failure to properly maintain equipment, all of which had led to the fire being as destructive as it was.

[42][43][44] After an article 32 hearing, a trial date of 19 to 30 September 2022 was set for Mays, who, according to his civilian defense attorney Gary Barthel, continued to maintain his innocence of charges of aggravated arson and willful hazarding of a vessel.

Barthel claimed that the legal officer who oversaw the article 32 hearing recommended to the head of the San Diego–based command, Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, that "the case not go to court-martial, and that the Navy is scapegoating Mays due to the high-profile nature of the Bonhomme Richard disaster.

Dozens of Navy officials, including several admirals, "have faced disciplinary action for failures that investigators said prevented the blaze from being put out sooner."

[57] The Marine Corps—in conjunction with International Ship Breaking Limited, Naval Sea Systems Command, Weapons Training Battalion and Method of Entry School (MOES)—salvaged 44 hatches and two hull sections, which will be used to teach marines special procedures for breaching watertight doors during Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) operations.